


Revelation

by meridian_rose (meridianrose)



Category: Da Vinci's Demons
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Apocalypse, Armageddon, Community: trope_bingo, Established Relationship, Heat Stroke, M/M, Nightmares, Suicide Attempt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-12
Updated: 2017-06-12
Packaged: 2018-11-13 06:17:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 715
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11178813
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/meridianrose/pseuds/meridian_rose
Summary: He had paid the price for his sins. For turning his back on his faith and betraying his father. Denied heaven, of course. Denied purgatory and the chance to redeem himself. Denied the burning lake of hell, even.





	Revelation

**Author's Note:**

> Established Riario/Zoroaster - a stand-alone sequel to the fic in which the realtionship began, [This is What You Need, I'll Give You What You Need](https://archiveofourown.org/works/10222373)

The world lay in ruins.

Riario wandered the charred remains of the Vatican. Smoke billowed from every side and small fires still burned nearby. He stepped over yet another dead body, bile in his throat, daggers in his hands.

The dead could not harm him and though he was afraid, the truth was he was alone, and always would be.

He had paid the price for his sins. For turning his back on his faith and betraying his father. Denied heaven, of course. Denied purgatory and the chance to redeem himself. Denied the burning lake of hell, even.

Everyone else was gone, their souls carried away to their final repose, but Riario was cursed to wander the empty Earth – what was left of it – in solitude.

He knelt at the foot of the Papal Throne and wept, begged for forgiveness.

Time passed, though there was no way of knowing how much. There was no day nor night any longer.

Desperate, Riario took up his blades and sliced at his flesh, opening up his wrists. Blood poured down his hands and pooled on the cracked stone.

He could bleed for eternity and it would make no difference.

*

"Girolamo."

Riario opened his eyes. He was drenched in sweat and tears. Zo was shaking him desperately. Riario shook his head. He couldn’t speak, his throat parched.

"It was just a dream," Zo said. "Sssh."

Zo rolled out of bed and poured water from the jug on the nightstand. He handed the cup to Riario who sat up and took long welcome gulps.

"Better?"

Riario nodded. "Thank you."

"I told you not to spend so long in the sun. You don't have my complexion or stamina for it," Zo scolded. He pressed the back of his hand to Riario's cheek. "You're still hot. Finish that water."

While Riario did as he was told, Zo fetched a damp cloth. He wiped at Riario's face and it was testament to their relationship that Riario allowed this without a single word of protest.

Zo poured a second cup of water, telling Riario to sip this one, while he used the cloth to wipe at Riario's arms and torso. Under other circumstances it might – and had been in the past – sensual, but Riario was too off-kilter and Zo too concerned to make it enjoyable.

"You want to tell me about it?"

Riario blinked rapidly. "What?" he asked hoarsely.

"The dream. The nightmare. I know you have bad dreams sometimes but not like that."

Riario lowered his gaze. "It was the end of the world."

"Did Leo do it?"

Riario hadn't been expecting that and it drew a sharp laugh. "No. I think I did."

Zo sighed. "How?"

"I have turned my back on everything and everyone from my past. Without me at his side the Holy Father made such errors…Armageddon came and went…and I was left behind. Alone." Riario bit back a sob.

Zo reached out and stroked at Riario's hair. "I'm going to tell you something that you won't like. But I'm going to say it, because I love you and I don't like seeing you this way, heatstroke or otherwise."

Riario met his gaze.

"You are not that important," Zo said. "No one man can or should be so important as to bring about or prevent Armageddon. Your choices will not bring about the end of days. Your choices are not going to lead you to be singled out for such cruel punishment as to be the only man left behind. I love you, and you are important to me, but you are just one man."

Riario nodded. "I know you are right."

"I know it it's been difficult to acknowledge your feelings for me," Zo said. "And I also know you're addled from the heat. So I understand you're upset and that you have dreams of your past and of your fears for the future. But the more you can accept that this is who you are and to focus on the present, the better."

"I will try."

Zo kissed Riario's forehead. "All right. You want to try and get some sleep?"

Riario did and Zo soon slumbered beside him. It took for Riario to drift off but once he did, there were no more dreams that night.

**Author's Note:**

> For the Trope Bingo prompt "au: apocalypse" and my dark bingo card prompt "stranded/survival scenario"


End file.
